Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-07-13
CHE farm aud fireside.
WHEN SHOULD CORN BE LAID BY?

The above question confronts the farmer
at present, and a number of inquiries about
it have reached US recently. No %infexible
rule can be laid'down. Here, as in most
farming matters, one must take all sur
rounding circumstances into consideration
aHd exercise sound discretion and judy
ment. First, as to corn !: BY the time the
plant is in full silk and tassel it has attain
ed to its full growth. All that remain Tor
it to do after that is to form its ear. This
is done chiefly with material already elab-
grated and distributed through its stalk
and leaves; partly, but in smaller degree,
from new material from without. Up to
the time when the grain beginsto harden,
the plant is gathering material from soil
and air. Its relations to these should not,
therefore, be disturbed. Its leaves should
not be stripped and its roots should not be
cut. Judicious blowing enables it to get
materials from the soil more rapidly In
judicious blowing will greatly interfere
with its work in this respect. Moreover,
it's leaves are then quite liable to be broken
off, as we'll as whole stalks. 1t becomes a
choice, then, between two evils mutilat-
ing the plant above ground and cutting it's
roots on the one hand, and having the sur
face compacted and crusted, and therefore,
unfavorable to food forming and root &C
ton, on the other. With these general
facts before us, let US look at surrounding
conditions.
If the soil is filled with humus, is soft
and friable, is clean and not disposed to
bake and crust. it is obvious that q crop
may be laid by earlier than when opposite,
conditions prevail. Such soil will not need
the late blowing, and root cutting and ven.
tilation of plant is avoided. Again, If
land is rich and moist, corn grows rapidly
and does it's work in a shorter time than
on poor dry soil. If laid by, therefore, in
the ''bunch" it will mature its ear before
there is much need of another working.
You hear a farmer say, II had to lay by
that corn with two workings, it grew so
fast I could not pillow it again." On poor
soil, destitute of humus and liable to get
hard and bake, the conditions are entirely
different. The corn does its work slowly.
Its roots do not find food at every turn.
The effect of one blowing does not last
long another is soon needed it cannot
be laid by early to advantage.
If the soil could be ploWed only an inch
deep-strictly speaking-and this could be
done without breaking down leaves and
stalks, it would dowell to continue ploW-
ing corn up to the time the grain is IN the
dough state. But the conditions we have
laid down are almost practically impossi-
BILE. 1t is hard to gauge plows to run just
that depth, and if IN succeeds in doing it,
as soon as his back is turned, deeper the
pillow goes down into the ground. A shall
%low-running pillow is harder to hold steady,
the negro wants to be relieved from the
labor of holding it to its place, and he
likes to see a pillow throw plenty of dirt,
that is his beau ideal of good blowing.
We conclude, therefore, it is safer to lay
by corr rather early-on rich land, when
in "bunch"-on poor land not later than
when tasseling. If the roots are cut when
the corn gets old, new roots are not formed
readily; growth in every direction is
about ceasing. Direct experiments on the
effects of root-cutting have shown that it
is very injurious to corn after it tassels.